The openSUSE Project has released version 11.1 of its Community Linux today. Besides undergoing comprehensive maintenance, the release brings vast improvements to the KDE 4 Desktop.

The newest openSUSE comes with the KDE 4.1.3 desktop with impressive graphic effects, which, with the appropriate 3D hardware support, is automatically activated. Among the new KDE applications is an update applet that works with PackageKit as backend.

OpenSUSE 11.1 is proprietary software free, but users can use the Package Manager to add programs such as Skype and Adobe from external sources. In addition, the Box Version of the release comes with a CD containing various proprietary programs. Freshware, such as Linux Kernel 2.6.27, Firefox 3.0.4, OpenOffice 3.0, Gnome 2.24.1, KDE 3.5.10, and Mono 2.0.1 are also included.

The decision to use non-proprietary software is evident throughout the release. Agfa Fonts have been replaced with open source alternative Liberation Fonts and OpenJDK takes the place of Sun Java, which can also be added from the external source. The Feature List provides further information about new additions and updates.

In cooperation with Fedora, openSUSE has built in support for the hardware data bank Smolt, giving users the possibility to save data to a central service, which leads to improvements in hardware support. The developers emphasize that v11.1 is the first release to be produced solely with openSUSE Build Service (OBS). The distribution download is available in different forms, including a USB variation and 32Bit and 64Bit system versions.

OpenSUSE 11.1 will serve as a bedrock for version 11 of Suse Linux Enterprise products, so we can expect this release to be watched closely by the developers and bugs to be fixed very quickly.

The double-sided DVD attached to this issue comes with 32- and 64-bit versions of the latest release from the openSUSE project. openSUSE 12.2 continues in the long tradition of SUSE Linux, offering a full-featured system that is ready for the server room yet friendly enough for the desktop.

Developer Stefan Dirsch is responsible for maintaining the openSUSE build scripts of the fglrx driver. In a message on the openSUSE developer mailing list, he appeals for a successor to take over the maintenance.